Areas of Saudi-US cooperation

Having recently arrived as the US Ambassador in Saudi Arabia, my wife Linda and I have been overwhelmed by the warm welcome we have received here from Saudis of all walks of life. As I start to roll up my sleeves and get to work, I wanted to share some of my observations on how I see the US-Saudi partnership, both on a governmental level, and on a personal level. I see diplomacy as a person-to-person interaction, and I look forward to meeting Saudis from a variety of backgrounds to advance our bilateral bonds in the coming years.
I would like to take this opportunity to offer my warmest greetings to the Saudi people for the holy month of Ramadan. I hope that in Saudi Arabia and throughout the region we will keep the focus always on what brings us together: Family, compassion, charity, and peace.
This US-Saudi relationship is one of our closest and most valued relationships in the region, and indeed in the world. Over the years, Saudi Arabia and the United States have partnered to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing the world. President Obama reaffirmed these close ties when he visited Riyadh on March 28. The US has had an important friendship with Saudi Arabia for many decades based on our shared interests in regional security, trade and investment, energy, and education, as the president, in that meeting of more than two hours, made clear.
US-Saudi trade now reaches $70 billion and Saudi Arabia is America’s 9th largest trading partner worldwide. The US remains Saudi Arabia’s largest trade partner, with US exports to the Kingdom growing by 76 percent since the beginning of President Obama’s administration in 2009. The bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, signed in 2003, provides a forum for the US and Saudi Arabia to explore ways to advance economic relations, and less than a year ago we signed an Open Skies Agreement.
Our agricultural exports, which have reached record high levels in recent years, have provided Saudi consumers with unmatched quality and consistency. Our bilateral cooperation on agricultural, environmental and health issues has grown as well. Saudi Arabia is now our partner in the Global Methane Initiative, which strives to decrease the effects of climate change by lowering methane emissions. Our two countries have been partners in the health sector for over 30 years — both in the public and private sector — and this cooperation continues to grow between our health ministries and other ministries and organizations through research collaborations, university programs, and exchanges of experts. For example, the US centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works very closely with the Ministry of Health on the MERS-Coronavirus situation and has a team in Saudi Arabia now working daily with Ministry of Health experts. We also have excellent collaboration on renewable and alternative energy and energy efficiency. We also enjoy robust collaboration on a range of energy issues, including renewable and alternative energy, a partnership that will only grow stronger as increasing US oil production further aligns US and Saudi interests in global energy markets.
Another important dimension of our ties is education. Saudi students have been attending American universities, colleges, and even high schools since the 1950s. One of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s accomplishments which we esteem the most is the scholarship program that bears his name. In 2005, prior to the King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP) there were fewer than 3,500 Saudi students in the US. Today, there are over 83,000 young Saudi men and women studying at our universities and colleges from coast to coast. Saudi Arabia now ranks fourth among countries sending students to the US. As of the most recent academic year, more than 50 percent of the current KASP students study in the US. We are proud to be the preferred destination for Saudi students and know that these young ambassadors will build ties that will support our partnership for decades to come. We applaud his vision, and we hope to welcome even more students in the future.
Last year, we issued 38,306 student visas out of a total of 126,300 visas between our three diplomatic facilities in Saudi Arabia. More than 90 percent of Saudi visa applications are approved, which is one of the highest rates in the world. All of these factors point to a country undergoing significant growth and modernization. Its place on the world stage is growing in importance and responsibility. From that fateful day in 1944 when President Roosevelt met with King Abdul Aziz on the USS Quincy and gave US recognition and support to this new country, our friendship, economic and political ties have grown and strengthened. Our leaders have affirmed the strong bond and partnership between our peoples.
President Obama has not only instructed me to continue strengthening the relationship, but to also build greater avenues to enhance the well-being of our mutual security, economies, and cultural interests. I have received such a warm welcome here. Personally, I look forward to doing everything I can to further strengthen US-Saudi cooperation in these areas during in my time in the Kingdom.
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The writer is the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia.